album of cornish diptera · 2019-11-24 · album of cornish diptera syrphinae 3 xanthandrus comtus...

The beginnings of an

ALBUM

of

CORNISH DIPTERA

by

Bernard Hocking

PREFACE

This is the humble beginnings of an album of Cornish Diptera.

One thing can be said at the outset for certain and that is that it will never be finished.

Unfortunately owing to the difficulty in making a positive identification of most species

it is necessary to catch them, so some photographs are only of dead specimens.

Where and when possible I hope to add better images in due course.

Scale, is another problem, to overcome this I have added the average wing length, as a

guide, though with some species there is a large variation in size.

The dates quoted are extracted from the Erica database and give the extreme dates when

the first and last were seen, more often seen in the middle of the range quoted.

Online version www.cornwallbiodiversitynetwork.org

BOOKS USED Bibionid and Scatopsid Flies by P.Freeman and R.P.Lane

Britain's Hoverflies by Stuart Ball and Roger Morris

British Flies Vol VI by J.E.Collin

British Hoverflies by Alan E. Stubbs and Steven J. Falk

British Lonchaeidae by Iain MacGowan and Graham Rotheray

British Soldierflies and their Allies by Alan Stubbs and Martin Drake

Collins Guide to the INSECTS of Britain and Western Europe by Michael Chinery

Flies of the British Isles by Colyer & Hammond

INSECTS of Britain and Ireland by Paul D Brock

Moth Flies by Phil Withers

The European Families of the Diptera Identification by Pjotr Oosterbroek

Tachinid Flies by Robert Belshaw

The Natural History of Flies by Harold Oldroyd

Thanks too to all those that contribute so much information on the internet free to all who

wish to use it.

Many thanks to Leon Truscott for allowing me to use his photos, where mine were poor

quality or non-existent.

Last but not least, a really big thank-you to all the Cornish and other Wildlife Enthusiasts

that have helped me with the identification of difficult species

Bernard Hocking

Album of Cornish Diptera SYRPHINAE 1

Dasysyrphus albostriatus

Two grey stripes on thorax and

angled bars on abdomen

Recent Cornish records

29 April - 26 Aug

Approx wing length 8 mm

Woodland edges

Dasysyrphus tricinctus

A rather distinctive hoverfly


21 April - 30 Sept


Small numbers in woodland

valleys

Dasysyrphus venustus

Care needed to identify


29 April - 11 June


Woodland margins

Photo Leon Truscott

Photo Leon Truscott

Photo Leon Truscott


Platycheirus scutatus

This specimen probably

darkened with age


25 April - 29 Sept

Approx wing length 6.5 mm

Widespread but under-recorded

Chrysotoxum cautum

Very wide abdomen aids

identification


11 May - 26 July


Prefers grassy woodland areas

Chrysotoxum elegans

Not easy to separate from

other Chrysotoxum


7 June - 8 Oct

Approx wing length 11mm

Scarce, but could turn up

anywhere

Photo Leon Truscott

Photo Leon Truscott


Xanthandrus comtus

Markings on abdomen are

quite distinctive


8 June - 25 Nov


May parasitize small moth 'pillars

Xylota segnis

The orange-red belt is

hidden by wings.


20 April - 16 Sept


Breeds in very wet rotting

sawdust or vegetation

Xylota sylvarum

Males far bigger than females


7 May - 5 Sept


Breeds in rotting Beech sawdust

Photo Leon Truscott

Photo Leon Truscott

Photo Leon Truscott


Melangyna umbellatarum

The three species on this page

are difficult to identify


2 May - 13 Sept


Scarce, found in wooded areas

Melangyna lasiophthalma

An early Spring species


30 March - 10 April


Frequents Sallow blossom

Episyrphus balteatus

Very common, easy to recognise

variable in size


13 March - 25 Dec


Common name,

Marmalade Hoverfly

Photo Leon Truscott

Photo Leon Truscott


Rhingia campestris

Snout and reddish abdomen

is diagnostic


8 April - 25 Nov


Very common, breeds in dung

Rhingia rostrata

A locally very scarce hoverfly


15 Aug - 12 Sept


May also have a Spring brood

Brachypalpoides lenta

Black legs and blood-red abdomen

make it unmistakable


4 May - 17 July


Associated with Beech trees

Photo Leon Truscott

Photo Leon Truscott


Eristalis arbustorum

Very common on flowers.


29 May - 11 Oct


Pale face aids ID

Eristalis intricarius

A bee mimic, different

colour forms


14 April - 8 Oct


Scutellum always yellow

Eristalis pertinax

Common and very similar to

Eristalis tenax Front tarsi orange


2 May - 1 Oct


As the two above, breeds in

drains and ditches


Cheilosia albitarsus

Black antennae,

Tarsus orangey, not white


4 May - 6 Sept


Often seen on Buttercups

Cheilosia albipila

Orange antennae and legs


13 March - 2 Sept


Larval food plant Marsh Thistle

Cheilosia illustrata

Dark wing patch, above dark

area of the abdomen


23 April - 27 Aug


Commonly seen on

Umbellifers


Cheilosia pagana

Orange antennae, large variation

in size and markings


28 March - 8 Oct


Cheilosia variabilis

Face is hairy, shown in cop,

female facing, male at top.

As name suggests, very

variable


7 May - 19 July


Prefers woodland edges

Cheilosia vernalis

Dark hairs on eyes and

quite a small species.


3 Mar - 10 Sept


Associated with Yarrow

and rather dry areas.


Platycheirus albimanus

Female shown, male longer and

thinner, grey spots on abdomen,

only appear grey at certain angles


1 March - 24 Dec


Often seen on Spring flowers

but has three broods

Platycheirus manicatus

Thorax dull rather than shiney

Male shown


30 April - 20 Sept


Prefers dry grassland if

the soil is not too acid.

Platycheirus peltatus

Largest of the Platycheirus

Not easy to ID in the field


10 May - 7 Aug


Can be found in most

habitats


Meliscaeva cinctella

Female shown, male quite similar

in size and markings


5 Mat - 27 Aug


Difficult to ID in field

Meliscaeva auricollis

Male shown, female has brighter

markings


26 Jan - 26 Dec


Probably hibernates as adult

in coldest months

Eupeodes corollae

Female shown, male narrower

and markings join in centre


24 Feb - 6 Nov


Very common in any habitat

Photo Leon Truscott


Melanostoma scalare

Very common on Lesser Celandines

several generations


26 Jan - 17 Dec


Markings usually obscured by wings.

Melanostoma mellinum

A small hoverfly found in

grassy places.


22 Apr - 26 Oct


Easily missed being low down in

the grasses

Sphaerophora scripta

Female shown, unmistakable and

widespread, male long and thin


25 April - 7 Nov


Very common in grassy areas

Sometimes migrates

Photo Leon Truscott


Volucella pellucens

The clear white band makes this

almost unmistakable


25 May - 23 Sept


Often on Bramble flowers

Volucella bombylans

Var. plumosa

A bumblebee mimic

fairly common


23 May - 30 Aug


Larvae scavenge in bumblebee nests

Volucella bombylans

var. haemorrhoidale

Very unusual colour form of this

bumblebee mimic


Have only seen it twice


Most likely to be seen in June


Sericomyia silentis

Found near boggy ground


21 May - 11 Oct


Often seen basking on flowers

Sericomyia lappona

A rather scarce hoverfly


24 April - 8 July


Prefers high acid bogs

Volucella zonaria

Largest British hoverfly


22 April - 4 Oct


Breeds in Wasp nests

Photo Leon Truscott


Chrysotoxum bicinctum

Dark wings and only two

yellow bands make it distinctive


23 May - 7 Sept


Usually seen in sunny places

sheltered by trees

Epistrophe eligans

Exceptional yellow version of

female, often no yellow visible


17 April - 7 Aug


Often on Hawthorn blossom

Leucozona glaucia

A rather local species


8 July - 20 Sept


May be seen on Hogweed

flowers

Photo Leon Truscott


Eumerus strigatus

Difficult to ID in the

field, hind femur swollen


14 May - 22 Aug


Larvae in tubers and rhizomes

Platycheirus granditarsa

Distinctive orange red abdomen

often covered by wings.


7 May - 1 Oct


Frequents damp meadows

Syritta pipiens

Swollen hind leg is

good to help ID


30 May - 8 Oct


Common on Bramble blossom


Epistrophe diaphana

Similar to species below but

has wider yellow bands


8 June - 15 Sept


Very scarce found near woodland

Epistrophe grossulariae

Parallel black and yellow bands

quite distinctive


9 June - 19 Sept


Often seen on umbellifer flowers

Epistrophe nitidicollis

Orange antennae help distinguish

it from above species


11 May - 20 June


Uncommon, photographed

egg-laying in garden

Photo Leon Truscott

Photo Leon Truscott

Photo Leon Truscott


Dasysyrphus pinastri

Difficult to identify in

the field


16 May - 8 July


Prefers coniferous woodland

Xanthogramma citrofasciatum

Bright orange/yellow legs are

noticeable


4 May - 2 July


Prefers dry grassland, scarce.

Xanthogramma pedissequum

Two yellow triangular spots

help with identification


13 May - 15 Sept


Rare, may be seen basking on

bare grassy areas

Photo Leon Truscott

Photo Leon Truscott

Photo Leon Truscott


Eupeodes latifasciatus

Care needed with ID


5 May - 22 Sept


Found in open areas of rushes

Eupeodes luniger

Largest of the Eupeodes


13 Feb - 21 Dec


Found in many habitats

Scaeva selenitica

A rather scarce migrant


11 June - 30 July


May be associated with

Spruce trees

Photo Leon Truscott

Photo Leon Truscott

Photo Leon Truscott


Ferdinandea cuprea

Found in old woodland


28 April - 14 Oct


Associated with weeping wounds

on tree trunks

Eristalinus aeneus

Top part of eyes are hairy


5 April - 19 Sept


Often seen very near the coast

Pipiza noctiluca

Abdominal markings of

female shown


26 April - 19 Aug


Sometimes sunbathes on leaves

Photo Leon Truscott

Photo Leon Truscott

Photo Leon Truscott


Scaeva pyrastri

White markings and size make

this quite striking


14 June - 24 Oct


Can fly a long distance

Portevinia maculata

Only large hoverfly with

grey spots


4 April - 27 May


Associated with Ramsons in

old woodlands

Myathropa florea

Very variable in size and markings


9 May - 1 Nov


Breeds in pools of rotting leaves

Photo Leon Truscott

Photo Leon Truscott


Merodon equestris

Legs always black but body

colour varies


27 April - 17 July


The Narcissus fly, a bulb field pest.

Arctophila superbiens

A rather striking and scarce hoverfly


20 July - 20 Sept


Prefers flowers of Devil's- bit

Scabious

Criorhina berberina

Another Bumblebee mimic


2 May - 23 July


Breeds in dead wood

Photo Leon Truscott

Photo Leon Truscott


Anasimyia contracta

Found near boggy ground


10 June - 9 Aug


Associated with Typha

Anasimyia lineata

Has a long snout when viewed

from the side


1 June - 9 Aug


Not often seen on flowers

Helophilus pendulus

Commonest hoverfly with

striped thorax


4 April - 12 Nov


Breeds in drains and ditches

Photo Leon Truscott

Photo Leon Truscott


Neoascia podagrica

Commonest of the three

on this page


8 April – 8 Oct


Small and low flying, so

under-recorded

Sphegina clunipes

Small and easily missed


8 April - 10 Sept


Prefers being in the shade

Neoascia meticulosa

Only recorded from one area

in Cornwall near reed beds


Not enough data

Approx wing length 4 - 5 mm

Careful examination of legs needed to

separate from other Neoascia species


Helophilus trivittatus

Yellow face, abdomen longer than

H pendulus and often paler


2 June - 25 Sept


Frequent migrant

Chrysogaster virescens

Females can have a slightly

greenish tint


29 May - 25 July


Prefers acid bogs

Microdon myrmicae/mutabilis

Associated with several

species of ants


6 June – 24 July


Seen around tall grass

tussocks in boggy areas.


Cheilosia fraturna

Uncommon, thought to breed in

Marsh thistles


13 March – 7 Sept


Prefers upland marshy areas

and rests on Buttercups

Melanogaster hirtella

Many similar species,

difficult to ID


15 April – 12 Aug


Prefers damp meadows, sometimes

seen on Buttercups

Eristalis tenax

Often mistaken as a

Honeybee on flowers


All year


Can be seen anywhere, breeds

in dung etc.


Neoascia tenur

Flies low over damp

grassy areas


28 March - 8 Oct


Easily missed because of size

Cheilosia ????

?

?

?


-

Approx wing length ?? mm

?

Cheilosia ?????

?

?


? - ?

Approx wing length ? mm

?

?

Album of Cornish Diptera TACHINIDIAE 50

Eriothrix rufomaculata

Fairly common in July & Aug


7 May - 8 Sept


Probable Lepidopteran hosts

Alophora hemiptera

Very wide body, unmistakable


23 May - 29 Aug

Extremely variable in size

Hosts mainly Hemipteran bugs

Thelaira nigripes

Could be mistaken for

Mesembrina meridiana


16 July - 4 Aug

Approx wing length

8 mm

Host, large moths eg.

Garden Tiger

Album of Cornish Diptera TACHINIDAE 51

Dexiosoma caninum

Prefers flying low in

vegetation


24 June – 12 Aug


Various beetles are thought to

be the hosts

Cylindromyia brassicaria

Rare late Summer species on

Southern coasts


2 July - 27 Oct


Hairy shield bug is the host

Tachina ursina

Rare early Spring species

Woodland edges


14 April 2018


Breeding and host

Unknown.

Album of Cornish Diptera Tachinidae 52

Voria ruralis

Fairly common but difficult to

identify


2 June – 18 Oct


Uses many lepidopteran hosts,

Silver Y, Red Admiral etc.

Tachina grossa

Very large and fast flying,

In open areas like cliff-tops.


12 June – 5 Oct


Extremely variable in size

Hosts are large lepidoptera such

Oak Eggar moth etc..

Pelatachina tibialis

Hosts are Small tortoiseshell,

Peacock and similar species.


May - June

Approx wing length ?? mm

Thought to lay eggs directly

on the larva.

Photo L Oakes

Album of Cornish Diptera TACHINIDIDAE 53

Carcelia lucorum

Small but fairly distinctive

in appearance??


9 June - 9 July??


Lepidopteran hosts such

as Garden tiger moth

Tach

Common late Summer species


12 June - 24 Oct


Very variable

Male has longer bronze abdomen

Tach

Common in wet

marshy areas


12 June - 17 Sept


Breeds in wet rotting vegetation

Album of Cornish Diptera STRATIOMIDAE 60

Beris morrisii

Dark stigma on wings help

with ID


27 June - 26 Aug


Larvae have been found in

roots of angelica

Chloromyia formosa

A common Soldierfly on

Hogweed flowers


7 May - 11 Aug


Male has red abdomen

Female bluish (shown)

Microchrysa flavicornis

Very small Soldierfly


15 June - 30 July

Approx wing length

4 mm

Breeds in damp rotting

vegetation

Album of Cornish Diptera STRATIOMIDAE 61

Nemotelus notatus

Small but fairly distinctive

in appearance


9 June - 9 July


Only found on coastal salt marshes

Sargus bipunctatus



17 July - 25 Sept



Beris vallata

Common in wet

marshy areas


12 June - 17 Sept



Album of Cornish Diptera BOMBYLIIDAE 70

Bombylius discolor

A scarce bee mimic


6 April - 21 May


Throws eggs into Mining bees nest

whilst hovering (As both sp. below)

Bombylius canescans

Scarce and coastal species


21 May - 19 July


Mining bees used as host

Bombylius major

Reasonably common in

open woodland areas


29 Mar - 25 May


Females tend to be paler

in colour

Album of Cornish Diptera BOMBYLIDAEA 71

Villa modesta

Associated with bee

Osmia aurulenta


30 June - 8 Sept


Restricted to warm coastal

sandy areas

Vacant

?


-

Approx wing length mm

?

Vacant

?


-


?

Album of Cornish Diptera ASILIDAE 80

Machimus atricapillus

Many similar species known

as Robberflies


17 July - 23 Aug


Thought to prey on Yellow Dungflies

Machimus rusticus

Mainly black legs aids ID


This specimen taken at

Rushy Green 2 July


Eggs laid in short coastal dead

flower heads

Dysmachus trigonus

Prefers bare coastal ground


21 May - 25 July


Tackles other powerful

insects as prey

Album of Cornish Diptera ASILIDAE 81

Dioctria baumhaueri

Rests on broad leaved shrubs and

tallish vegetation


2 June - 6 Aug


Catches many insects incl

Ichneumonoids in flight

Asilus crabronifirmis

An impressively large,

but now scarce Robberfly


22 June – 27 Sept


Breeds in cowpats

Neoitamus cyanurus

Male shown has blue/grey

Tip to abdomen


12 June – 10 September


Prefers old woodlands

Album of Cornish Diptera MIXED 82

Acrosathe annulata

Blue grey distinctive appearance

Almost unmistakable


29 May - 16 July


Only found on coastal

sand dunes

Vacant

?


-


?

Vacant

?


? - ?


?

Album of Cornish Diptera CONOPINAE 90

Physocephala rufipes

Waits on flowers for passing insects


7 May - 3 Sept


Probably various bees used

as host

Myopa testacea

Seems restricted to Mid Cornwall


27 April - 14 June


Common wasp thought to be used

as host

Sicus ferrugineus

Seen more frequently than the

previous two Conopids


10 June - 12 Aug


Bumble bees are thought to be

the host

Album of Cornish Diptera Conopidae 91

Thecophora atra

Small, dark and easily missed

in the field


2 July – 11 Sept


Attacks the small species

of Lasioglossum bees

Vacant



17 July - 25 Sept



Vacant

Common in wet

marshy areas


12 June - 17 Sept



Album of Cornish Diptera BIBIONIDAE 100

Bibio leucopterus

Female as shown here but male

wings appear whitish


20 April to 2 June


Breeds in soil and prefers

Grassy areas

Bibio pomonae

The large size and red legs make

this species easy to spot


10 May – 3 Aug


Associated with areas of heather

Bibio johannis

Both sexes have fairly

clear wings


5 April – 1 May


Black with some red on legs

rather small

Album of Cornish Diptera TIPULIDAE 110

Tipula maxima

Biggest British fly


13 Mar – 1 Oct


Often seen near wet woodland

Tipula lunata

A rather scarce


4 May – 8 June


Prefers sheltered areas

Of vegetation

Eloeophila trimaculata

Only one record

Recent Cornish record

25 May


Found in very wet boggy

area

Album of Cornish Diptera MIXED SPECIES 200

Poecilobothrus nobilitatus

Male shown below female, seen in

swarms low over water.


12 June - 6 Nov


Male has smoky wings with

white tips

Dolichopus ungulatus

A very common fly on flowers

in early Summer


15 May - 8 Aug


Very similar to above species, but

male, shown, has clear wings

Chrysopilus cristatus

Covered in yellow hairs when newly

emerged


29 May - 3 Aug


Breeds in rotting wood.


Haematopota pluvialis

Common "Cleg" female bites man,

needs blood before breeding


1 July - 2 Aug


Approaches silently and settles to bite

Coenosia tigrina

Seen bringing down a "Cleg" and

sucking out the contents (Photo)


2 June - 19 Sept

Approx wing length 3 - 5 mm

Cleg was immobilized as soon as the

C. tigrina bit it in flight in neck

Tabana autumnalis

Black stripe on underside of abdomen


22 June - 18 Sept


Eggs laid near water


Dryomyza anilis

Many similar, cloudy wing veins

important aid to ID


14 June - 20 Nov


Eggs laid in rotting vegetation

Sepedon sphegea

Unusually shaped antennae and red

legs are diagnostic


3 July - 20 Sept


Parasitic on molluscs

Sciare thomae

Male is all black, female bright

yellow below, shown


4 July - 4 Sept


Seen on umbellifer flowers,

breeds in fungi under the soil


Rhagio tringarius

Markings vary, but always clear

wings, no stigma


11 May - 6 Sept


Found in marshy meadows

Opomyza germinationis

Tends to walk a lot


29 June - 3 Aug


Larvae develop in grass stems

Tephrochlamys rufiventris

Despite obvious colouring

care needed with ID


Not enough data


Associated with fungal rotting

of plant and animal matter


Scathophaga stercoraria

Male shown, female less hairy

green/brown in appearance


Can be seen throughout the year


Usually found on cow pats, in large

numbers in Summer

Eumerus tuberculatus/funeralis

One of the smaller smaller

bulb fly species


28 May - 22 Sept


Common but easily missed

due to size and colour

Haematopota crassicornus

Found in upland areas in wet

of open grassland


14 June - 17 July


White spots on wings quite

noticeable in the field

Photo taken by Yvonne Barlow


Sepsis duplica

Very similar to species below


June - July

Approx wing length 2.5mm

Probably under recorded

Sepsis fulgens

A very common but small

species


20 Feb – 30 Oct

Approx wing length 2.5mm

Breeds in rotting vegetation

Argyra diaphana

Common in damp

woodlands


5 May – 30 July


Probably breeds in damp soil

Appears to be “brilliant white” when

in flight, but “disappears” on landing.

Album of Cornish Diptera Mixed 206

Chrysops caecutiens

The Splayed deerfly, a very

striking fly


2 July - 27 Aug


Breeds in water margins

Lonchaea iona/patens?

Females as this is, impossible to ID

with certainty


This one on 23 May


Probably breeds under bark of very

rotten bark on Ash wood

Pegomya bicolor

One of the Anthomyidaea group


are mostly of the mines this

adult on 19 Oct


Mines leaves of

Sorrel and Docks

album of cornish diptera · 2019-11-24 · album of cornish diptera syrphinae 3 xanthandrus comtus...

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